Lintel for packaged masonry units



AXE

June 4, 1957 H. J. SCHAEFER LINTEL FOR PACKAGED MASONRY UNITS Filed Aug. 18, 1955' INVENTOR. L/ara/d J Schaafer United States Patent LINTEL FOR PACKAGED MASONRY UNITS Harold J. Schaefer, Streator, 115.

Application August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,187

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to a lintel for packaged masonry units such as bricks, cement blocks, hollow tiles, etc.

In my copending application Serial No. 480,531, filed January 7, 1955, for System and Apparatus for Handling Block-Type Materials, there is described a method of handling bricks or other forms of masonry units wherein steel strapping being sufficiently strong to hold the units in assembled relation during normal handling. An exception is made, however, in the case of the units defining the upper portion of the openings and against which the tines of the fork truck bear. These units must withstand the weight of the entire package, and accordingly, in order to avoid a concentration of stresses at the edges of the units by an inadvertent misalignment of the tines and units, those immediately over the opening are laid crosswise of the others to lend support to the units above and to make the package hold its shape, particularly around the openings.

It has been found, however, that the crosswise laid units, in addition to requiring a special technique in the assembly of the package, also may at times cause a certain looseness of the package resulting from the lack of lateral support of the units defining the sides of the openings. It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide means for supporting laterally and vertically the masonry units defining tine receiving openings in a package of the units.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an expendable steel lintel which may be relied upon to give support to masonry units defining the lift fork tine openings in a package of such units.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision, for use in a package of masonry, of a steel lintel which is sufficiently inexpensive to be expendable after the package is disassembled, but which nevertheless will supply both lateral and vertical support for the packaged units with which it comes in contact.

For purposes of illustration, this invention will be shown and described as applied to packages of bricks but it is understood that the invention may be applied to packages of other masonry units designed to be transpored by fork-type trucks.

The foregoing objects and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation in perspective of a package of bricks arranged in a manner to make use of the brick supporting means of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom View in perspective of the brick supporting means; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the brick supporting means of Fig. 2. shown installed in a package of bricks.

The brick supporting means, as shown in Fig. 2, may take the form of a lintel made from a substantially rectangular sheet of steel 10, the short side 11 of which may be approximately one and one-half times the vertical height of the face of a brick, that is, of the thickness of a brick, and the longer side 12 of which is longer than twice the said height of the face of the brick. In one typical example the lintel was three inches wide and six inches long.

Two tongues 13 and 14 are struck downwardly from the central region of the plate. In the formation of the tongues, the material of the plate is punched downwardly as shown so that said tongues 13 and 14 are integral with said plate. The distance between the outer faces 15 and 16 of the tongues 13 and 14, respectively, is approximately twice the height of the face of a brick. The shape of the tongues may be triangular as shown, it having been found that the triangular shape provides maximum length for the tongues and detracts the least from the strength of the plate. Other configurations may also be used but with less advantageous results. In the aforesaid typical example, the tongues were triangles having a base of 1% inches (assuming that the side adjacent plate 10 is the base) and a height of 1 /2 inches.

A package of 100 bricks may be formed as shown in Fig. 1, said package comprising courses 17 and 18, each containing 13 bricks laid on their faces. One brick is laid directly above, and in alignment with, the are immediately below. A course 19 is placed upon course 18 and comprises groups of three bricks also laid on their faces, with a two-brick space between the central and outer groups. Above course 19 are five courses which are identical with courses 17 and 18. A steel strap 20 is wrapped around the 100 bricks so assembled to form a unitary package.

Before course 21 immediately above course 19 is laid, two of the plates 10 are placed over the spaces 22 and 23 formed between adjacent groups of bricks. Tongues 13 and 14 are so disposed as to extend downwardly along the sides of the bricks defining the vertical walls of the openings. Thus, the regions 24 and 25 of the plate 10 extending from each tongue 13 and 14 to the ends of the plate will rest upon the bricks 26 and 27 defining the vertical sides opening 22, for example. Plate 10 therefore functions as a lintel to support the bricks immediately over the opening 22. It is accurately and symmetrically located over the opening by the tongues 13 and 14, and said tongues serve in addition to maintain the desired spacing between the groups of bricks in layer 19. Thus, if the bricks defining the sides of the opening tend to loosen and move into the opening, such tendency will be resisted by the tongues 13 and 14.

Where but one lintel is used for an opening it is advantageously placed in the center of an opening, that is, equidistantly from the front and rear edges thereof. It is understood that more than one such plate or lintel may be used in an opening if desired.

The lintels described above are so inexpensive to make that they can be thrown away after they have once been used, in much the same manner as the steel strapping with which the package of bricks is bound. A package using the lintels of this invention presents a much more uniform appearance and has less tendency to become disarranged by the inadvertent shifting of the bricks around the openings for the lift fork. It is easy to assemble, since all of the bricks in the package face the same way.

It is understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention' and that the scope of the invenion therefore is not to be limited thereto but is to be determined by the appended claims. V

I claiin:

1. In combination, a package o fbri ck-likefmasonry' units comprising superposed courses of such'units, an

opening in-the package formed by the omission of at least one unit in one of said courses, a plate bridging the' units comprising superposed courses of such units, an'

opening in'the package; formed by the omission of at least one unit in one-ofrthe courses, a lintel bridging the opening and supporting the units immediately above the opening by the units laterally adjacentto and defining the sides of said opening, said lintel comprising a plate'having tongues struck downwardly from the central portion thereof and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to 2,794,548 Y v I I the lateral dimension of the opening, and means for tying the units'together.

3. In combination, a package of brick-like masonry units comprising superposed courses of such units, an opening in the package formed by the omission of two adjacent units in one of the courses, a lintel bridging the opening and supporting the units immediately above the opening by the units laterally adjacent to and defining the sides of said opening, said lintel comprising a steel plate having a pair 'of tongues depending from the bottom surface thereof, said plate being adapted to be inserted between vertically adjacent rows of units, and said tongues being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the lateral dimension of two bricks, such that the tongues will maintain apart a distance substantially equal to the lateral dimension of two bricks the units laterally adjacent to and defining the sides of the opening, and means for tying the units together. 1 a

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

